The Spirit

This was a fantastic issue. I think The Spirit is a lot like the Sandman was, in the sense it is not so much about the title character as it is about the people and characters around him. And I love that because Cooke writes some wonderful character. The sad story of Almost Blue was great, you really feel for him as you read it. I loved how this issue ended it exactly where it began, there was something magical about that. I wonder if this is the last we will see of Almost Blue? It is really seen if he and Rico are really dead or not and in comics, if you don’t see the body, they are probably alive. The cover has a little too much going on but the interior of this book was great.

We are treated with the Spirit’s origin story this issue. I gotta say that I am glad Cooke did not open this series with his origin, it made this issue all the more exciting. This book is visually stunning and written really well…but it should be doing better. READ THIS! It is a really good read. Anyways, I don’t know if this is the same as The Spirit’s old origin or if it’s just tweaked or what. But it is a really cool idea, especially how it is presented here. If you were really alive and everyone thought you were dead, would you let anyone know?

The Spirit #4
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art by Cooke and J. BoneFor some reason unknown, it took me awhile to get into this issue. I just wasn’t digging it at first. I was constantly distracted by other things. But by the end, I became invested in the story. Silk Satin seemed like just another tough CIA agent at the beginning but over the 25 pages I grew to really like her. She is soft yet hard as nails. I am also curious to learn more about the Octopus.

The Spirit #5
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art by Cooke and J. Bone

This was another fun issue of The Spirit. It is also really the first time we have seen The Spirit do “field work” with his sidekick, Ebony White. I like how they work together.They work off eachother really well. The “villain” of this issue was definitely my favorite part. Mr. Carrion, a crazed greedy man who is in love with his pet vulture, Julia. I don’t know if he is a Will Eisner creation or a Cooke creation but kudos to whoever created him because that is just awesome! Hilarious idea for a villain. I hope we see more of him in the future (And maybe around the DCU if this series takes place in the DCU)

While I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this issue as much as last issue, this series is still going strong. (Not that I expected it to be bad or any thing.) P’Gell is a great Femme Fatale and according to Wikipedia, she is not a new character. P’Gell’s relationship with the Spirit reminds me a lot of Batman and Catwoman. Except P’Gell is still really a villain and Catwoman isn’t but still. The art is great and fits the tone of the story, although I would have liked to see the cemetery more that The Spirit has his base in. I hope one day Cooke explains how The Spirit became The Spirit as he hasn’t really re-told the origin story yet I would like to see his version of it. I think I just might go buy the Spirit Archives that DC has published. This is a great read.

I have absolutely have no familiarity with the Character of The Spirit. I am a complete newbie and I have to say I am a fan of the character after reading this issue. My first introduction to The Spirit was on that History Channel documentary about comics from a few years back. He looked kinda interesting but nothing I would seek out. Now, I wanna read everything the character has ever been in. Cooke writes a wonderful little adventure for the Spirit and unlike most new series, he does not recap the Spirit’s origin, which I don’t mind at all. I suppose he will tell it eventually but it is not important right now. I think this series is supposed to slowly intergrate The Spirit into the DC Universe but I am not sure. I hope it does. The story is a lot of fun. I expected that The Spirit would be a dark and grim character like Batman but it turns out he has a sense of humor and a good one at that. His little comments to Ginger Coffee were very funny. I hope her character will make a return. Cooke manages to reintroduce The Spirit’s Sidekick, Ebony White, without being racist. That is pretty incredible. The villain in this issue is pretty gross, his name is The Pill and I don’t know if he is a new character or not. Great start to what looks like will be a great series, highly reccomended